Have a great trip!
Dominique’s old stones (mostly)
- Thread starter Blue439
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Blue439
New member
Thank you !
Blue439
New member
Hello everyone, I’m back! The trip went very well and was fun, lots of great places and some (hopefully) nice photographs (a selection of which I will show in due course), even though the main purpose of the trip was my wife’s watercolor work.
Here’s an oldie from a fishing boat cemetery in southern Brittany. I like to call it Dead in the Water.
Nikon D810, Nikkor 24mm, ƒ/1.4 G lens, handheld.
Here’s an oldie from a fishing boat cemetery in southern Brittany. I like to call it Dead in the Water.
Nikon D810, Nikkor 24mm, ƒ/1.4 G lens, handheld.
Clovishound
Senior Member
Good to see you back. Glad you had a good trip.
Blue439
New member
The Devil’s Castle
This strange name has been given to this small fortress hugging the high cliff wall in the valley of River Cele, not far from the village of Cabrerets in the Périgord region (southwestern France). It was so named because for many years, bands of highwaymen used it as a base from which they raided farms and settlements in the area, spreading terror and causing considerable damage. To be entirely truthful, this place is also called le château des Anglais (“the Castle of the English”), as further bands of (that time) English pillagers also used it as their base during the Hundred Years War. Modern-day English retirees still invade the region as they find it a better place than, say, Kent or Blackpool, to spend their golden years...
Nikon D810, Nikkor 85mm, ƒ/1.4 G, handheld.
This strange name has been given to this small fortress hugging the high cliff wall in the valley of River Cele, not far from the village of Cabrerets in the Périgord region (southwestern France). It was so named because for many years, bands of highwaymen used it as a base from which they raided farms and settlements in the area, spreading terror and causing considerable damage. To be entirely truthful, this place is also called le château des Anglais (“the Castle of the English”), as further bands of (that time) English pillagers also used it as their base during the Hundred Years War. Modern-day English retirees still invade the region as they find it a better place than, say, Kent or Blackpool, to spend their golden years...
Nikon D810, Nikkor 85mm, ƒ/1.4 G, handheld.
Blue439
New member
The dolmen of Kercordonner in Brittany. The word dolmen is Breton for “table of stone”. Kercordonner is actually a succession of several dolmens, as you can see, thus forming what is usually called une allée couverte, a covered alley.
I took this photo in 2014 with a Nikon D3S and a Micro-Nikkor 105mm, ƒ/2.8 G VR lens. I meant to create a wavy effect with the wheat undulating in the breeze, and so I took a relatively long exposure, maybe half a second, still handholding the camera, as I had no tripod with me that day. The VR did a good job of steadying my hand!
I took this photo in 2014 with a Nikon D3S and a Micro-Nikkor 105mm, ƒ/2.8 G VR lens. I meant to create a wavy effect with the wheat undulating in the breeze, and so I took a relatively long exposure, maybe half a second, still handholding the camera, as I had no tripod with me that day. The VR did a good job of steadying my hand!
Blue439
New member
Paris may be a modern-day capital city with all the required trappings (and all the downsides!), it still also looks like a very small countryside town, if you know where to go, with quaint houses aligned along twisting, narrow streets where children can play without fearing traffic, not to mention the occasional passing abductor... Those places are scarce and people who know about them don’t advertise them, so that they do not end up on tourist guides, but having been born and raised in Paris, I know about them. This is one. Outrageously expensive, as can be expected, even though the area outside of this particular neighborhood is not especially nice...
The EXIF (*) on this photo are gone, but scattered notes lead me to believe it was taken with a D700 and a Nikkor 14-24mm, ƒ/2.8 G. Handheld, of course.
(*): If you see the name “Lupin” or “Arsène Lupin” in the EXIF, don’t worry: it is because I take most of the photos I post here off my Flickr account, and further to unfortunate events with a previous account using my real name, which had to lead to the deletion of that account, I chose the name of the famous gentleman-burglar as my Flickr handle —a bit like “Blue439” here, for which I see no one has come up with any explanation yet... although it should be right up your alley, guys...
Jus’ sayin’...
The EXIF (*) on this photo are gone, but scattered notes lead me to believe it was taken with a D700 and a Nikkor 14-24mm, ƒ/2.8 G. Handheld, of course.
(*): If you see the name “Lupin” or “Arsène Lupin” in the EXIF, don’t worry: it is because I take most of the photos I post here off my Flickr account, and further to unfortunate events with a previous account using my real name, which had to lead to the deletion of that account, I chose the name of the famous gentleman-burglar as my Flickr handle —a bit like “Blue439” here, for which I see no one has come up with any explanation yet... although it should be right up your alley, guys...
Jus’ sayin’...
Blue439
New member
More secrets of Paris
Right off a busy city street, you walk through a wide and tall metal gate that blocks all sounds when it closes and you walk into a small shaded courtyard to find this charming, Mansard-roofed house, which may be not very bright inside but otherwise a pleasure to live in...
Like the photo above, this one, which is part of the same series, was most likely taken with a D700 and a Nikkor 14-24mm, ƒ/2.8 G lens, handheld.
Right off a busy city street, you walk through a wide and tall metal gate that blocks all sounds when it closes and you walk into a small shaded courtyard to find this charming, Mansard-roofed house, which may be not very bright inside but otherwise a pleasure to live in...
Like the photo above, this one, which is part of the same series, was most likely taken with a D700 and a Nikkor 14-24mm, ƒ/2.8 G lens, handheld.
Blue439
New member
The Path to Compostela
A Mediæval street leading out of a fortified Mediæval village and into the unknown wild... This is the exact same multi–secular view the pilgrims had (and still have!) when, en route to worship Saint James the Great (or “the Elder”, to disambiguate him from James the Apostle) in his Galician grave, they left the reassuring comforts of the village and abbey of Conques, in southwestern France. This is one of the most authentically Mediæval views one can still have today of what “walking the Path” looked like in the Middle Ages.
This photo was probably taken around 2010, I cannot remember exactly as I went to Conques several times. The EXIF are gone but the camera was probably the D3S I still have, and the Nikkor 24-70mm, ƒ/2.8 G lens.
A Mediæval street leading out of a fortified Mediæval village and into the unknown wild... This is the exact same multi–secular view the pilgrims had (and still have!) when, en route to worship Saint James the Great (or “the Elder”, to disambiguate him from James the Apostle) in his Galician grave, they left the reassuring comforts of the village and abbey of Conques, in southwestern France. This is one of the most authentically Mediæval views one can still have today of what “walking the Path” looked like in the Middle Ages.
This photo was probably taken around 2010, I cannot remember exactly as I went to Conques several times. The EXIF are gone but the camera was probably the D3S I still have, and the Nikkor 24-70mm, ƒ/2.8 G lens.
Blue439
New member
Occasionally, it can be fun to do a bit of what they cal “urbex”, for “urban exploration” —i.e., going in abandoned buildings or industrial sites (often, if not always, trespassing to do so) to take photos. Genuine urbexers (“Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints”) are a tight community that despise taggers and other so-called and self-styled “street artists”; it is not easy to become part of it, but it is the only way to learn about good sites, since the locations are never made public. It is especially true about places like this one, which are still untouched by taggers —or at least, was when I visited in 2014. It is only known by its nickname, Château-Lumière, meaning Castle of Light, because of the well of light set in the rooftop.
This is a 1920s mansion, still in amazing condition.
Nikon D3S, Nikkor 14-24mm, ƒ/2.8 G lens, handheld.
This is a 1920s mansion, still in amazing condition.
Nikon D3S, Nikkor 14-24mm, ƒ/2.8 G lens, handheld.
Blue439
New member
The Invisible Man, or How to Have Fun with a Tilt-Shift Lens —aka, How to take head–on pictures of a reflective object without seeing yourself and your camera in it!
Paris, December 2013, Nikon D700, Nikkor 24mm, ƒ/3.5D PC-E tilt-shift lens, handheld. Natural light, single exposure.
Paris, December 2013, Nikon D700, Nikkor 24mm, ƒ/3.5D PC-E tilt-shift lens, handheld. Natural light, single exposure.
Blue439
New member
A Breton icon (2013)
This little house tucked between the rocks is probably the most widely known sight from Brittany worldwide, as it was used for years by the most official organizations possible for tourism promotion and on millions of postcards, without any kind of authorization from, nor compensation to, the owner. She sued and won, but her house remains one very big tourist attraction. One or two cars are usually parked in front of the house in order to discourage photographers, but as I know her, I can ask her in advance so that no cars are there when I come...
Nikon D3S, Nikkor 70–200mm, ƒ/2.8 G VR II lens. Handheld.
This little house tucked between the rocks is probably the most widely known sight from Brittany worldwide, as it was used for years by the most official organizations possible for tourism promotion and on millions of postcards, without any kind of authorization from, nor compensation to, the owner. She sued and won, but her house remains one very big tourist attraction. One or two cars are usually parked in front of the house in order to discourage photographers, but as I know her, I can ask her in advance so that no cars are there when I come...
Nikon D3S, Nikkor 70–200mm, ƒ/2.8 G VR II lens. Handheld.
Blue439
New member
The “Pont du Diable” on the Aber Wrac’h (2013)
There are many Ponts du Diable (i.e., “Devil’s Bridges”) in France. They often involve daring feats of civil engineering over deep gorges in mountainous environments. This one is extremely old, some date it from Roman times, others from the 900s, but none later than that. It has been restored in the early 2000s.
For this “bridge”, I guess the aid of the Devil was necessary because it is built across an aber, which means an estuary that the Atlantic fills up twice a day, covering the walkway entirely, which must have made it difficult to build. Anyway, help of the Devil or not, it was very sturdily built, as it’s been there for centuries! If you venture across, remember it is extremely slippery and watch your step!
Nikon D3S, Nikkor 24-70mm, ƒ/2.8 G lens, handheld.
There are many Ponts du Diable (i.e., “Devil’s Bridges”) in France. They often involve daring feats of civil engineering over deep gorges in mountainous environments. This one is extremely old, some date it from Roman times, others from the 900s, but none later than that. It has been restored in the early 2000s.
For this “bridge”, I guess the aid of the Devil was necessary because it is built across an aber, which means an estuary that the Atlantic fills up twice a day, covering the walkway entirely, which must have made it difficult to build. Anyway, help of the Devil or not, it was very sturdily built, as it’s been there for centuries! If you venture across, remember it is extremely slippery and watch your step!
Nikon D3S, Nikkor 24-70mm, ƒ/2.8 G lens, handheld.
Michael J.
Senior Member
I love this one. Captured a great mood - Remembers me of my early childhood when I came to a foster family
Blue439
New member
Thank you for your kind comment.
The priory church of Saint-Romain-le-Puy (2021)
Benedictine monks settled on the high hill of Saint-Romain-le-Puy in Auvergne (central France) as early as 550-600 AD. There, they built a pre–Romanesque church of which only the crypt remains (please see below). The current church was built around 900 AD, and enlarged around Year 1000. The alfresco paintings that remain on some of the walls are from the 14th or 15th centuries.
There are many details in the appareling (the way the stones are assembled) and the decoration of this church that make it very famous among Mediævalists.
The crypt. People have come here to meditate and pray since around Year 600 at least. Structures like that boggle the mind: designed for one single purpose, they retained it through millennia and still retain it today, even if secular tourism has now overtaken the religious...
Both photos: Nikon Z7, Nikkor 19mm, ƒ/4 PC-E tilt-shift lens, manual focus, FTZ adapter. Gitzo tripod, Benro geared head.